1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally related to playing cards used in games of skill and chance, and in particular to the assembly, disassembly, and distribution of playing cards.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gaming has enjoyed phenomenal growth over the recent past, with the addition of numerous forms of wager based gaming, the legalization of wagering in a large number of jurisdictions domestically and internationally, and the construction of numerous casinos to service the increasing demand for gaming opportunities.
Card games are popular in casinos and are typically played with one or more decks of cards, where each deck typically includes fifty-two cards. A conventional deck of cards will typically include four suit markings: hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades; and each suit marking will be accompanied by one of fourteen possible rank marking: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack (J), Queen (Q), King (K) and Ace (A). Card games may, or may not, include wagering based on the game's outcome.
Since the cards are often reused, decks of playing cards must be periodically shuffled to prevent the same card hands from continually reappearing. Shuffling may take place after every card in the deck or decks has been dealt, for example after several hands have been played. Frequent shuffling is intended to prevent a player from gaining an unfair advantage over the house or other players by counting cards.
Manual shuffling tends to slow play down, so mechanical shufflers are often employed to speed up play and to more thoroughly shuffle the cards. The cards are typically shuffled several cards before the end of the deck(s), in an effort to hinder card counting, which may be particularly effective when only a few hands of cards remain (i.e., end game strategy). The ratio of the number of cards dealt to the total number of cards remaining in the deck(s) is commonly known as the penetration. The gaming industry is now introducing continuous shufflers. Continuous shufflers mechanically shuffle the cards remaining to be dealt while one or more hands are being played. The continuous shuffling is one attempt to frustrate attempts at card counting.
Card counting is when a player keeps a mental count of some or all of the cards that have been played. For example, in the game of twenty-one or “blackjack” it is beneficial to determine when all cards with a rank marking of 5 have been dealt (i.e., a “fives strategy”). A “tens strategy” is another card counting method useful in the game of twenty-one. In the “tens strategy,” the player increments a count each time a card having a value of 10 appears, and decrements the count when card having a value less than 10 appears. In the “tens strategy” example, the number of “10-value” cards counted may be compared with the estimated total number of cards remaining to be dealt. This comparison gives the player an indication of how much of the remaining deck favors the player with respect to the house. Numerous card counting systems and methods are known.
In addition or alternative to card counting strategies, other players may use a cheating technique known as “marking” the back of the cards, where the marked card gives the cheating player the advantage of remembering the value (i.e., rank marking and suit marking) of the marked card. The cheating player will now know the value of the marked card when it is re-dealt in a subsequent game and since the marked card will most likely ends up in another player's hand, the cheating player now has an advantage. Card marking techniques can be used in blackjack in order to help the player discern whether certain key cards, for example, Aces, have already been played.
Interestingly, card marking is a cheating strategy that is also commonly found in poker games because of the high stakes and because there is a certain acceptance with the players being a bit secretive when handling their own cards during play. Poker has dramatically grown in popularity in casinos and even on television. By way of example, one form of poker that has become extremely popular in casinos is called Texas Hold 'Em. In fact, nationally broadcast poker tournaments like the Travel Channel's World Poker Tour and ESPN's World Series of Poker have resulted in greater numbers of casino patrons playing poker. Many casinos often have full capacity poker tables, which means that they must be that much more vigilant in watching for cheating players.
Card “marking” consists of small cosmetic or geometric alterations to the cards, such as surface scratches, a bend in the corner, or a minute change in design, for example from shading or daubing. Shading cards consists of using a very fine ink to manipulate the design on the backside of certain cards. The mark is generally too small to be readily noticed by someone not specifically looking for it, but making the mark does require some amount of precision. Another technique called daubing utilizes a special ink in the form of a small dauber and special sunglasses. The back of a card is daubed with the special ink, which is invisible to the naked eye, but clearly visible through the special sunglasses. A third type of marking is bending or crimping of a card. The cheating player bends the corner of the card slightly with his thumb or index finger. Alternatively, the cheating player subtly bends the card to give it either a concave or a convex shape that is noticeable with respect to the flat table surface when the card is re-dealt. This physical marking can later be spotted by the cheat, who is likely to remember the suit marking and rank marking of the card, even after the cards have been reshuffled and re-dealt. A final known method of marking is called thumbnailing. The cheating player subtly drives a sharpened nail of his or her thumb into the back of a card. The cheating player then anticipates that the thumnailed mark will remain unnoticed to other players and casino employees for the remainder of the playing session.
Although casinos carefully monitor the activities of both players and casino employees, the aforementioned forms of cheating still tend to occur. The fast pace and large sums of money make casinos likely targets for cheating and stealing. Casinos employ a variety of security measures to discourage cheating or stealing by both customers and employees, but many of these security measures are labor intensive and costly. Consequently, there is still a need for improved ways to reduce or eliminate cheating, especially with respect to card games such as poker.